The Xatian Games (TXG)
by Smokefall
Summary: Who will emerge victorious in the xat version of The Hunger Games?
1. Chapter 1

The Xatian Games (TXG)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games; All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated, any flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favour." - Suzanne Collins, _The Hunger Games_

Chapter 1

_"The Games change people, mommy. Even through the screen you can see the scariness in their eyes that shouldn't be there." whispered a child._

_"I know, Darling, I've seen it for myself. It's the survival instinct that drives every one of us. Don't be scared, Sweetheart, I promise I won't let anything ever happen to you." Came the reply._

A ring of Twenty four tributes stand on circular metal plates, all equidistant from the large metal Cornucopia, a giant golden structure shaped like a horn with a golden tail, the mouth of which is filled with supplies that will give the tributes life in the arena.

The majority of the tributes are staring hard at the supplies, poised and ready to sprint at them at a moment's notice. Others are looking around, evaluating their surroundings and planning their best route of escape, while a couple of tributes are staring viciously at the others, a blood lust glowing fiercely in their eyes.

One tribute is crying.

"Sixty seconds!" calls a bearded man in an expensive suit from his platform at the top of the Cornucopia. "Remember what you are fighting for, tributes. I have high expectations from you this year." He smiles widely. "This is your host, Chris Johnson, and may the odds be _ever_ in your favour. Happy Hunger Games!" he cries, vanishing into thin air as he's teleported back to the safety of the Arena HQ.

After a few seconds, a buzzer goes off, signalling the beginning of the Games. The tributes spring forward from their plates, some sprinting for the Cornucopia, while others dash into surrounding forest.

The crying tribute falls to her knees only a few paces from her plate. At 12 years old she is the youngest of the group. An older-looking ginger strides through the bloodbath that is commencing around the Cornucopia, easily swatting away any attackers with his large, bear like hands. He scoops up a large backpack and turns away, heading over to the girl who hasn't moved. He leans over, but makes no move to hurt her.  
"Hello inferiorite." He whispers. "How about you come with me? I can guarantee your safety for a while if you help me out here." He pulls out a small pocket knife from the backpack and unsheathes it.  
The little girl looks up at the ginger with large blue eyes, but before she can reply, he is hit across the head with a skillet and he stumbles away, dazed.  
"I know we're in the games now but I can't let you hurt a defenceless child, Jared!" says a girl with long dark blonde hair wielding a skillet. "Maintain your honour." She says, before hauling the child up onto her back and running away into the forest. Jared stares hard at the girl as she leaves, then picks up his backpack and takes off in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, the bloodbath around the Cornucopia is beginning to subside. A couple of cannons go off, each signalling the death of each tribute. Their bodies litter the ground, amongst a few other fatally wounded tributes. A wary face pokes out from inside the mouth of the Cornucopia as some of the surviving tributes start to walk away together in a small group. The tribute inside the Cornucopia ventures out further from her safe place, her blonde hair appearing almost ginger in the sunlight. She begins sifting through the meagre pickings of the dead or dying tributes, hoping to find something that'll keep her alive in the games. She rolls over a male tribute, expecting him to be dead. As he rolls over he coughs, spraying blood over the female tribute. Startled, the girl squeals in surprise.

"Save… me." he wheezes at her, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. She notices that he is holding a small dagger, and takes it from him.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Your games are over" she whispers to him softly, sliding the dagger through his clothes and deep into his chest. The pain and relief in his deep brown eyes quickly fade and a cannon goes off in the distance.

Suddenly, she feels a heavy hand on her shoulder. She tries to pull away, but another hand clamps down on her other shoulder and she is shoved into the dirt next to the dead tribute.

"Well well, who do we have here? A survivor?" asks a tall guy with spiked dirty blonde hair as he walks in front of her. She tries to wriggle away from the two guys holding her down, but has her head shoved roughly into the ground, causing her to choke on dirt. "What are we going to do with you, dear?" he smirks. "William, Travis, let her up. I want to look her in the eye when I do this" he says, malice glittering in his eyes as he unsheathes his dagger.

_[A/N: Have fun dangling off the cliff for a while, folks! ;D]_


	2. Chapter 2

The Xatian Games (TXG)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games; All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated; Any flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favour." - Suzanne Collins, _The Hunger Games _

Chapter 2

"_I want to help them, mommy" whispered a child._

"_There's nothing you can do, Dear Heart. Now go to sleep." came the reply._

The blonde girl quickly scrambles to her feet and wrenches her shoulder from one of the guys who is still holding her. She stands her ground as she is approached by the tall guy with spiked hair, staring defiantly into his dark brown eyes. He leans over her, but she remains unflinching.

In less than a heartbeat, the guy has lifted his dagger and is pressing it into the delicate skin at the base of the girl's neck. Her confidence finally breaks as she lets out a tiny cry and grips the guy's wrists, trying to pull his hands and the knife away from her neck.

"Will." murmurs a deep voice from behind the group. The pressure of the knife reduces a little as the guy cranes his neck over his shoulder to look at who had spoken. "It's not her time." He continues.

"I wouldn't tell me what to do if I were you, Roelof." Will replies, turning himself and the girl around to face the man before him.

Before them stands a well built, dark haired man with strong facial features and smooth stubble covering the lower half of his face. He appears too composed and defined to be a tribute, and the girl wonders if he is some kind of Gamekeeper interfering with the games. He pulls out a small bag from his backpack and throws it at Will's feet.

"Travis" Will says, nudging the bag with his foot. The taller of the two guys who'd held the girl down steps forward. He is a tall, well built guy with dark, thick hair, green eyes and glasses. He scoops up the bag and paws through its contents.

"Three apples, a ball of string, some bandages and a bottle of water." Travis says to Will, looking up from the bag. "Useful stuff." He comments.

"Now spare her." murmurs Roelof, starting hard at Will.

"Sure." Replies Will, taking the knife away from the girl's throat. A small trickle of blood runs down her neck from where the knife had been pressed into her skin. He grabs her wrist as she starts to walk away. "Thanks for the supplies. We'll be keeping the girl as well." He smirks as he turns away, pulling the girl with him, who's frantically trying to yank her hand free. Distrust flickers across Roelof's dark eyes, but he remains silent as he watches Will's group walk away into the forest. He waits until they all disappear into the undergrowth before heading off in the opposite direction.

The group treks through the forest for a while before reaching a small clearing. Travis and William dump their bags and weapons near the centre of the clearing and start working on building a small fire pit and erecting a couple of tents. Will walks to the edge of the clearing and scans the surrounding forest, before letting go of the girl and allowing her take a few steps away from him.

"Don't run." He says, showing her the palms of his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you." The girl stares hard at him and looks him up and down. He is tall and slim, but has defined muscle underneath his clothes. His knife hangs loosely from his belt, but he makes no move towards it. After a few moments, Will breaks the silence. "So do you have a name?" He asks.

"Marie." The girl replies shortly. Travis looks up from where he's pegging down a tent.

"Hello Marie!" He says, cheerfully. She flips him off.

Will chuckles. "Well, you definitely have spirit, Marie. I like that." His face grows serious. "We could use someone like you in our group. What d'you think? I'm Will, by the way."

Marie thinks about the offer for a moment. "If I get a tent, sure." She replies.

Will smirks. "Of course. You can share with Travis. Glad to have you aboard!" he says cheerily as he turns away, leaving no room for discussion.

Marie curses under her breath and glares at Travis, who's looking warmly back at her. The warmth quickly melts into unease when he sees the look on Marie's face.

"I, um, we can do back to back night watch shifts so we don't have to share the tent, and stuff, if you want." stammers Travis. Marie stares coldly at him for a moment, before nodding and turning away, walking in the direction Will went. "We'll arrange shifts later and stuff, if you want." Travis calls after her.

A low chuckle sounds from behind Travis. "Good luck with that." says William, sitting up from lighting a fire. Travis takes a seat on the ground next to William in front of the fire.

"She'll kill me in my sleep!" Travis exclaims, sitting up for a moment to scan the surrounding forest for any danger.

"Don't sleep then." William replies shortly. They continue to sit by the fire in silence as the sun sets. After a while Will and Marie return with a couple of rabbits and some more firewood. As Marie throws some wood onto the fire, William guts and cleans the rabbits and hands slices of meat to Travis, who puts them on the fire to cook.

The group sit in a circle around the fire and eat in silence as the Arena begins to grow dark. Suddenly, the Capitol anthem plays, slicing through the silence like an arrow. The group look through a gap in the trees, and high in the sky are three tribute portraits. Marie recognises one of the tributes as the one she killed.

"I killed that one." Marie tells the group, gesturing to the tribute.

"We know. We heard you scream at him, and that's how we found you" replied Will. "What'd you do, scare him to death?" Marie elbows him in the ribs before looking back up at the sky.

The portraits remain projected into the sky for a few more minutes, then the anthem sounds again and the forest falls silent. As the group starts to settle down for the night, Will and William put out the fire and wander around the camp to make sure there is no-one around. Travis and Marie squabble over who has first watch.

Suddenly, a wet tearing noise causes everyone's head to turn in the direction Will and William went. William stumbles forward into the clearing and Will rushes to catch him as he falls to his knees.

A long steel arrow is lodged deep into his back and the tip protrudes out of his chest. A drop of dark blood drips off the end, and tiny jets of blood are spurting rhythmically out from a gap next to the arrowhead. William touches the arrowhead and looks up to the rest of the group, the life in his eyes quickly fading.

"We have company" he says weakly, as his body goes limp and hangs loosely in Will's arms. A cannon goes off in the distance.

The group share a look of alarm as another arrow appears out of nowhere, and the same wet tearing noise from before sounds again.

A body drops to the ground.

_[A/N: Remember to Read+Review, Folks! ^_^ I'll give you hugs if you do.]_


	3. Chapter 3

The Xatian Games (TXG)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games; All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated; Any flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favour." - Suzanne Collins, _The Hunger Games _

_[A/N: Sorry I didn't get this uploaded sooner; I've been busy. ;-; Please don't hate me]_

Chapter 3

"_One day I will save you" whispered a child._

_There came no reply, but outside the window the child could hear the sounds of the tributes fighting for their lives in the Arena._

High in the branches of large oak tree sit two female tributes. They are similar in looks, both blonde haired-blue eyed with sharp features. The smaller of the two sits near the trunk, clinging to a branch in fear of falling, while the other dangles her feet fearlessly off the branch, peering through the forest canopy for any other tributes. She looks up from scanning dark the forest floor and smiles at the smaller girl who's looking back at her nervously.

"I'm Madelyn." She says, "What's your name?"

"M-Maddie" the little girl replies.

Madelyn smiles reassuringly. "Hello Maddie! It's lovely to meet you. Too bad it couldn't be under better circumstances." She reaches for her skillet, which has been balanced precariously beside her on the branch. All of a sudden, the skillet is gone from underneath Madelyn's outstretched hand and is tumbling down through the canopy below. It lands with a heavy thump onto the forest floor. Maddie shuffles back along the branch until she is pressed against the trunk of the tree.

"What was that for?!" exclaims Madelyn angrily. She pauses for a second as she sees the fear in Maddie's eyes, and then sighs as she understands. "I wouldn't have wasted energy bringing you all the way here and making sure you were safe if I was going to kill you." She explains.

Both tributes jump as they hear a cannon go off in the distance, shortly followed by another.

"Well, that's two less tributes we gotta worry about" points out Madelyn, putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out some rather squished berries. She picks out the fluff from a couple of them then offers some to Maddie. Without hesitation the child leans forward and takes them, tucking in gratefully.

"Thank you." Maddie murmurs around a mouthful of berries. A trickle of berry juice escapes from the corner of the child's mouth and runs down her chin. Madelyn chuckles softly and looks down at the dark forest below.

"Oh my, oh dear, oh Lord, oh Christ, SWEET BABY JESUS." comes a deep male voice from the dark bushes at the bottom of the tree. Both tributes look up sharply and peer through the canopy to see a young male tribute struggling through the bushes. As he exits the bush triumphantly, his foot catches on the handle of Madelyn's skillet and he stumbles and falls face down on the ground. He lets out an ear-splitting scream as he tumbles. "I SURRENDER." He squeals, covering his head.

After a few moments his body twitches and he looks up. After realizing there's no danger, he slowly gets up and brushes himself off. "Come on Joey, get a hold of yourself." he mutters, before murmuring something, his posh British accent making his words inaudible.

"Well, he doesn't look too dangerous" Madelyn says to Maddie, before climbing down the tree and dropping into the forest floor below. Joey squeaks and grabs a stick from the forest floor. He waves it around in the air like a wand and tries to look threatening. Laughing, Madelyn turns away to pick up her skillet.

Maddie pokes her head out from behind the tree and glares at Joey, who is edging forward towards Madelyn while her back is turned.

"HIYAAAAA!" He shouts, bashing Madelyn on the head with the stick. The stick breaks and drops to the floor pathetically, and the blood rapidly drains from Joey's face.

Madelyn goes very quiet and turns around holding her skillet, slowly, furiously.

He looks at Maddie who is closing in on him as well. "N-no alliances!" he stammers, backing off.

"Help! Someone help!" comes a cry in the distance. The three look in the direction of the noise.

Madelyn and Maddie glance at each other. They nod silently to eachother and the pair take off in the direction of the cries, leaving Joey on his own to nurse his self-esteem.

Suddenly, Marie tumbles out from the bushes and crashes straight into Madelyn, who whacks her away with her skillet. Marie lands heavily on her behind, dazed for a second before scrabbling back up again.

"You've got to help. We need medical help. Please!" she begs, looking pleadingly at Madelyn

"Marie! SHUT THE HELL UP!" comes another male voice nearby. "It's dark and the noise will travel further in the silence"

Marie cringes and begins to walk away through the trees back in the direction she'd come from. She looks over her shoulder to see Maddie and Madelyn following suit. The three push through the bushes and find a little campsite with a little fire burning in the centre. The little clearing looks quite jolly for the Hunger Games until Maddie sees two male bodies laid out next to each other by the fire. She buries her head into Madelyn's jacket and Madelyn puts a hand on her head.

"What happened?" asks Madelyn.

"Max, the other tribute from my district ambushed us." replies Marie quietly. "I should've known he'd try to kill me first" she kneels down by one of the bodies. "Will is going to die unless he gets medical help." She rests her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. "He took the arrow when it missed me; and then another to the knee." She points at the three bloody arrows leaning up against a nearby tree trunk. "Max has a fatal shot; He killed William, but aimed high on the second shot and hit Will in the shoulder." She gestured to the bandages around Will's shirtless torso. Blood was soaking through the tightly wrapped fabric and it was obvious that he was losing a lot of blood, and that none of them had any medical experience.

"You need to kill him." says Madelyn. "If you don't now he'll just die later from infection or another tribute. His games are over."

Travis and Marie look at each other in stunned silence.

"Or he'll turn on you if you survive long enough." whispers Maddie through Madelyn's coat.

"I'll make it quick." murmurs Madelyn, "He's out cold, and won't feel a thing. It's the most humane thing to do." She takes Maddie to the edge of the clearing and sits her down, whispering something to her before walking back to kneel by Will's side. She takes Marie's knife gently and presses the tip of it against the skin above Will's heart, in the hollow between two ribs.

Will stirs and lets out a small breath, and turns his head to look at Madelyn. Their eyes lock.

"He's awake!" exclaims Marie.

"Hey beautiful. What's your name?" whispers Will weakly with a smirk, not noticing the knife pressed into his chest.

Madelyn slowly lifts the blade from Will's chest and hands it back to Marie. She gets up and walks over to Maddie, who is in a slightly different place to where she originally left her. She looks at Madelyn quizzically before getting up walking to the edge of the clearing along with Madelyn.

"He'll die from infection." says Madelyn shortly. "Or he'll be killed by another tribute." She locks eyes with Marie, then Travis, and finally Will, who still has his eyes trained on her. "And if we meet again, I'll make your ends quick and honourable, because I won't be holding back." she pauses for a moment to let that sink in, then turns and vanishes into the night with Maddie.

"Ouch." wheezes Will, trying to sit up.

"Stay there" says Marie, pushing him back down gently. Travis gets up to grab some food and water from their supplies. Suddenly, he cusses loudly and throws an empty bag to the ground.

"What is it?" asks Marie, getting up.

"That bitch's kid stole most of our supplies." He shouts angrily, stamping around the clearing, raging and kicking things. Marie looks at what is left of their supplies. A few bandages, three apples and a flask of water. She swears under hear breath, and reaches for the flask. She sits back on her heels, sips some water and stares at the ground angrily. Suddenly, she notices a tiny arrow drawn in the ground. It points away from the clearing and out into the forest.

"Hey Trav, stop re-enacting Godzilla and give Will some of this water." says Marie. "I'll be back soon, but if I'm not back by morning..." she pauses. "Don't come looking for me." After handing the flask to Travis, who has calmed down and is trying to catch her eye, she wraps some bark tightly around the end of a stick and lights the end in the fire. She then walks to the edge of the clearing, rubbing away the arrow with her foot and continuing into the dark forest.

_[A/N: If I told you there were cookies on offer would you Read+Review? :3 In other news, the next chapter should be up pretty soon. Thanks for reading! ^_^]_


	4. Chapter 4

The Xatian Games (TXG)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games; All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated; Any flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favour." - Suzanne Collins, _The Hunger Games _

[_A/N: Sorry if this chapter's a little "hot off the press", I'm a little rusty. Also apologies for the long wait. I've been back at school. :3 Remember to Read and Review!_]

Chapter 4

_The final drop of blood was spilt._

_And then it was all over._

Marie had been walking for most of the night, following the subtle marks embedded in the soft earth and engraved into tree trunks. She leans up against a tree to catch her breath, and watches the remaining flames at the end of her torch flicker out, plunging her into the pre dawn darkness. After a half-hearted attempt to rekindle the fire, she plunges the flame-scorched end into the earth beside her and sinks down into a sitting position against the trunk. A wave of exhaustion crashes over her, and her eyelids begin to grow heavy. Little sleep to look after Will and a busy day had sapped her energy, and she could no longer fight it. She is sure she feels eyes on her as she drifts off into a deep sleep, but she no longer cares. Her group would move on in the morning, providing Will was well enough, and she'd most likely die there. She doesn't mind. She just wants sleep.

Meanwhile, Madelyn watches the sun rise from high in the branches of a tree. She hadn't seen Maddie for most of the night; she had gone to find water while Madelyn got a decent night's sleep. She sighs and begins to edge her way down the tree's trunk. Beneath her, a twig snaps. Madelyn freezes and looks down. On the forest floor, Jared is just meters away, poking at the area beneath the tree. He could see their footprints from the night before, but couldn't understand why they didn't lead away from the clearing. Madelyn smirks to herself and presses close to the tree trunk, replying on the leaves to conceal her. As Jared begins to plod away, he steps on the mushrooms Madelyn had been eyeing up for breakfast. Her smile drops and she flips him off as he exits the clearing.

Not far from Madelyn, light reflects off the surface of the stream in the early morning light. It catches on the tiny droplets of water that splash off the rocks, creating a myriad of rainbows which dance underneath Maddie's fingertips. She smiles to herself as she collects the sweet, fresh water into a container.

"Hello, little one." murmurs a deep voice from across the stream. Maddie looks up sharply. On the other side of the stream stands a well-built, dark haired man with strong facial features. He is smiling at her, but she backs away from the stream and pulls out her blade, taking no chances. "I'm not here to hurt you," he continues. "My name is Roelof, and it seems we are thinking with the same frame of mind." He steps across the stream and begins to move towards Maddie.

Marie's eyes snap open, and then squint against the late morning light shining through the trees. The blinks for a couple of seconds, confused, then realizes where she is. 'Unsafe' her instincts whisper, her spine tingling as if someone is watching her.

"Stupid!" She exclaims, getting up and brushing herself off. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Angrily, she kicks the trunk of the tree and begins to turn away, as an apple suddenly plunges through the air and smacks her on the head. Marie jumps and spins around, heart pounding. She picks up the apple, its shiny surface gleaming in the morning sunlight. It looks fresh and delicious. Her teeth pierce its crisp skin and juice escapes from the sweet pulp inside. She hungrily munches on the apple, tosses the core into a bush and looks up at the tree to see branches laden with the sweet, ripe fruit. Between the branches high up in the tree, something shiny catches the sunlight, dazzling Marie for a second. She squints to see what seems to be a round container attached to a parachute.

After what feels like ages of hauling herself through many thick, interwoven branches, and dodging falling apples, Marie finally reaches the top of the tree where the capsule is. She can hear a faint buzzing sound, but she concludes that the sound is distant enough to be safe to ignore. The capsule is engraved with the Capitol symbol, and attached to it is a tiny note;

"_Apply three times a day directly to the wound."  
-Anon_

Marie opens the container stares at the small jar of white jelly inside for a few moments, confused. Had she just discovered someone else's sponsor? Then she realizes.

"Will!" she says out loud, her own voice taking her by surprise and nearly falling off the branch. It must be medicine for his injury. Marie wraps the parachute around the jar for extra protection, then noisily scrambles back down the tree, the delicate package clutched tightly to her chest. He was lucky to have someone outside of the arena looking out for him. The medicine must have been expensive

She lands heavily at the base of the tree, accompanied by a few apples that fall with her. She looks around at the apples, very aware that she doesn't have anything to hold them with. She pauses for thought for a second, then unties the parachute from the jar and ties it around her torso, creating a sling to hold the medicine and few apples. Satisfied with her haul, she begins to exit the clearing.

Suddenly, she becomes very aware of the loud buzzing above her, and the light streaming through the trees rapidly begins to fade. She curses under her breath as she watches the swarm of Tracker Jackers gather above her.

"Stay still and they'll leave you alone" Marie murmurs under her breath, frozen in place. She watches the genetically engineered bees swarm and buzz angrily, realizing that her clumsy movement had most likely just cost her life. "Fuck that, I'm running" she says, making a bee-line for the bushes. The noise increases as the swarm follows suit behind her, rapidly catching up.

Marie trips and lets out a blood-curdling scream as the Tracker Jackers reach her.


	5. Chapter 5

The Xatian Games (TXG)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games; All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated; Any flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favour." - Suzanne Collins, _The Hunger Games_

[A/N: Ooh look at you, you lucky lot. Two new chapters in a day. It must be the weekend! Enjoy! :')]

Chapter 5

"_It's called survival of the fittest, son." Murmured a deep voice._

"_It's murder." Came the defiant reply._

"I watched you lead that girl to the apple tree" says Roelof, leaning up against a tree. Maddie backs away further, and sheaths her blade. "You were aware of the Tracker-Jacker nest nearby, weren't you?" he says, his brow creasing. Maddie gasps and shakes her head. She knew how aggressive the bees were, and begins collecting her things to head back to the tree. "She'll be fine." Roelof reassures, putting a hand on Maddie's shoulder.

"There's medicine for the man there." says Maddie quietly, looking increasingly worried. "She'll have to climb the tree to get it"

Roelof ruffles the girl's hair. "She'll be fine." He repeats. "While your care for others is a benefit in some situations, it will also be your greatest weakness, especially here. You must learn to use your aptitude to your advantage." Roelofs' eyes lock with Maddies'. "And then you will go far. Maybe even farther than myself, but in the kindest sense, I hope we don't meet again at The End." He smiles and flicks a finger across Maddie's cheek, causing her to smile. "Goodbye Young One. May the odds be ever in your favour." He turns and begins to walk away.

"Wait." whispers Maddie. Roelof turns as Maddie runs up to him and buries her face into his shirt. "I'm scared" she says into his shirt, her voice wobbling.

Roelof puts a reassuring hand on her head and ruffles her hair. "I know, little one. We all are." He murmurs, kneeling down in front of her. "Close your eyes." Maddie does as she is told. "Take a deep breath, and as you breathe out imagine all the fear inside you rushing out on that breath." Maddie takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. She smiles and opens her eyes to say something, but Roelof is no-where to be seen.

In the distance, a scream echoes through the forest and bounces from tree to tree, silencing birds as they stop to turns to see the swarm building up in front of her, their buzz deafening in her ears. Her heart pounds as she pushes herself into the ground, cowering in fear.

Suddenly, rancid smelling, smoking ball of leaves, branches and moss flies into the clearing, crashing straight through the swarm and onto the ground between Marie and the bees. The swarm breaks formation and bees begin to fly in all directions, crashing into trees, each other and the ones who were hit by the ball drop to the ground like flies and struggle around pathetically. Out of the bushes a blonde tribute bursts, holding a stick with another smoking ball attached. She swings it at the swarm which is rapidly decreasing in size as the tracker-jackers flee from the smoke and smells and confusion.

As the last of the bees disperse, Marie stares at the blonde tribute in stunned silence. Slowly, the blonde's face morphs into nothing but smooth skin, and the tips of Marie's fingers begin to burn like she's put them into fire. She howls in pain and a hand grabs her shoulder and pushes her into the ground. Panic flutters in Marie's chest as the hand disintegrates into thousands of tiny spiders which crawl into her shirt, face and hair. She claws at her body and face, trying desperately to get them off as everything begins to morph into a blur of light and colour, and a rushing noise fills her ears. She continues to scream until her world plunges into darkness and silence.


End file.
